


Pride

by thepudz



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Non-Binary Character, F/F, Fluff, Gay Pride, Handholding, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, LGBTQ Themes, Pride Parades, Rated M for language, Subways
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28612671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepudz/pseuds/thepudz
Summary: Arriving at her first Pride Festival, Adora can't help but feel anxious. Upgrading from posting online to LGBTQ+ forums, to a gigantic march with hundreds of people, is quite the leap, and to add on to it all, she has to go alone. But thankfully she meets someone there who helps her feel a bit more comfortable, a bit more welcome, and a bit more proud. Bonus: She is lesbian as fuck.A Pride Catradora One-Shot that is full of fluff. TW for references to homophobia and transphobia.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 154





	Pride

To say the massive amount of rainbow flags across the street was disorientating to Adora would be an understatement.

As she emerged from the subway, blinking into the bright sunlight, she saw the parade before her. A field that had been littered with stalls and people, including a Ferris Wheel of all things.

Pride in Adora’s town had taken over a local theme park this year, but the march would still be happening down the street in about thirty minute’s time. Adora had only wanted to show up for the march, but at the same time, she always worried about being late.

She took an early subway, but she was starting to think it was a little too early.

But the decisions had been made, and Adora knew she had thirty minutes to kill now until the march. She had come to this Pride alone, hoping to make a few new friends or at least have a good time. But everywhere she looked, she could only see people in small groups.

She swallowed down her anxiety, and approached the festivities.

Adora had a small backpack with an almost tiny rainbow flag pinned on it. It was the most she could do the represent herself, since the rest of her outfit consisted of denim jeans, a red varsity jacket and a white shirt. She looked boring compared to some of the spectacular outfits she saw around her.

As she walked around, she tried to see if there was anyone she recognized. She wasn’t sure how she’d react if someone from her school or even her family caught her here. After all, she hadn’t even come out to anyone.

That fact was almost enough to convince her not to go to Pride at all. After all, why come to Pride if you’re not out and loud? That’s what she figured anyway. She almost felt like an impostor compared to everyone else here.

Adora heard a loud voice to the left of her, and turned to see a few young kids gathered around in a certain place. She narrowed her eyes, and saw that the kids were being read a story by a drag queen. Adora couldn’t help but smile at how drawn-in the kids were. She almost wished she had an experience growing up like that.

Adora’s eyes slowly gazed over to the largest attraction here: the Ferris Wheel. She was impressed at how it was already painted in rainbow colors, and as she approached it, she saw that tickets were affordable. Adora’s budget was already small, but she figured this was a good enough purchase. She jumped in line after purchasing a ticket.

She saw multiple couples within the many passenger cars. It was a gentle reminder of Adora’s lonesome self at this festival. All around her, she saw friend groups and relationships consisting of two or more people. Adora almost wished she brought at least one person along.

But her mind ran blank on who to bring.

As Adora approached the front of the line, she saw an empty passenger car approaching the ground. Once she was allowed in, she awkwardly approached the empty car, trying not to draw attention to her state of loneliness.

But once she stepped inside the car, she turned to see someone else being allowed in behind her.

Before Adora could even react, someone else had gotten in the empty car with her, and the door of the car had already been closed. Adora looked to see the person opposite her, wearing a denim jacket, short shorts and heart-shaped, rainbow sunglasses. They also had rainbow make-up spread across their cheeks.

“Hope you don’t mind if I hitch a ride with you,” the other person said. “This place is fun but it gets a but hectic. I just need some time to chill from everything.”

“Uh…” Adora cleared her throat. “Sure. That’s cool.”

“I’m Catra,” the person said, taking off their heart-shaped sunglasses and giving Adora a smirk. “You can use she/her pronouns with me. Oh, and I am lesbian as fuck,” she chuckled.

Adora was almost envious how easy it was for Catra to come out like that. It made sense, given the environment they were in, but Adora always wanted to come out as casually as Catra did. But whenever the opportunity arose around her friends, her heart caught in her throat and she just couldn’t get the words out.

“I’m… Adora,” she chuckled. “I use she/her pronouns too…” Adora felt weird telling about her pronouns. It should be a normal thing, but no one ever did it around her. It was always assumed. “And uh… I’m a lesbian too.”

Adora realized she just came out for the first time.

Her heart fluttered slightly. After all, this was practically a stranger who knew next to nothing about her. And yet, she now held a special place in Adora’s life, and she didn’t even know it. Adora wasn’t sure if she was happy, sad or somewhere in between.

“You here with anyone, Adora?” Catra asked, looking out to the side of the Ferris Wheel. In the distance was the city, and before it was a whole mess of trees, towns and other buildings.

“Nope. I’m… I’m not even out to anyone, so…” Adora scratched the back of her neck. “Guess that makes me kind of a faker, huh?”

“Huh? Who says that?” Catra asked, her eyes narrowing. Adora felt her heart almost stop as Catra’s eyes met hers, and she quickly brought herself back to life.

“Well, it’s just… Isn’t Pride all about being out and such? You know… Coming out without giving a damn and being proud of it?” Adora asked. Catra narrowed her eyebrows.

“Pride is a celebration of our diversity. And that includes people who aren’t out yet,” Catra said. Adora’s eyes almost widened at this statement. It sounded so obvious, and yet she never thought of it this way. “Adora, you’re still completely valid and awesome, even if you don’t feel safe or comfortable coming out yet. That’s a personal choice. Not something that should be forced on you.”

Adora wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She could only look at Catra in bewilderment. “Sorry. I’ve only known you for a minute and I’m lecturing you,” Catra apologized.

“No, no, no! It’s fine!” Adora waved her hands. “I just… I guess I never thought about it like that. It means a lot that someone would say that. I guess I just feel out of place here. Everyone’s in their own little groups and they’re all covered in rainbows and… Here I am… With the smallest Pride pin in the world.”

Adora showed off her backpack to Catra, and the latter let out a chuckle. “And isn’t that the coolest fucking Pride pin in this place?” Catra said, and Adora could only laugh in response. “Hey, if you’re looking for someone to hang out with, my friend is just down near the front of the march with a group of theirs. They’re actually participating, and they invited me along.”

“Oh! I…” Adora took a second to collect her thoughts. “Is that okay? I don’t want to invade anything…”

“Adora,” Catra interrupted her. “I’m not going to force anything onto you. But we seriously don’t mind if you want to join us. I can tell they’d love you. And I don’t want to leave a girl as cute as you all alone at a place like this.”

Adora’s eyes widened at the sudden flirt. “Well… If it’s okay, I would like to make some new friends… I don’t know any queer people at my school. At least… No one has come out or anything like that. I might be the only lesbian there.”

“Well, if that’s the case, you just made your first two queer pals,” Catra replied as the car reached the bottom of its path on the Ferris Wheel. The door was opened and Catra stepped out. Adora took a second to calm her rapidly beating heart, before following after her new friend back into the festival.

“So… Who’s this friend of yours?” Adora asked as she followed behind Catra. The two of them made their way towards the large crowd forming on the streets, and Adora stuck close by as to not lose her only friend in this large crowd.

Catra scanned through the crowd for a few more seconds, before suddenly raising a hand. “Hey! DT! Over here!” She suddenly called out among the crowd, almost louder than anyone else there. Adora looked up to see her friend, noticing the call-out.

“There you are, darling!” Catra’s friend replied, pushing through the crowd of people and making their way towards Catra. “I was wondering where you had disappeared off to!”

“I just needed to get some breathing room for a bit. Crowds, y’know?” Catra sighed, before suddenly placing a hand on Adora’s shoulder. “But I also made a friend here! Say hi to Adora.”

Friend. Adora was Catra’s friend. It was a thought that sent tingle through her core, and oddly brought about a smile on Adora’s face as she waved to Catra’s other friend. “Hey there…! I’m Adora! Like Catra just said… Um… I… I go by she/her pronouns. And… I’m lesbian… As fuck,” Adora chuckled.

“Well, aren’t you a bold one, doll?” They responded. “I’m Double Trouble, they/them pronouns please, darling. You’re… not a TERF, right?”

“Pfft. No fucking chance. TERFs don’t have friends,” Adora scoffed, crossing her arms. Using terminology like this was something she had only ever done online. Doing it in person felt almost surreal. But at the same time, it gave her a rush.

“Then I think we’re gonna get along perfectly,” Double Trouble smiled, putting their hand on Adora’s shoulder. “Can you believe I’ve had to run into other gay people here who are the spouting the whole ‘2 genders’ thing in my face?”

“Point me in their direction and I’ll sort them out,” Catra said with a seething tone, but Double Trouble shook their head in response.

“Just ignore them. That’s what I do most of the time anyway. I don’t let that stuff get to my head, but I try my best to be here for people who are hurt by those words,” Double Trouble said with a concerned gaze towards the rest of their non-binary group, all of whom were positioned near the front of the march. “I don’t get it, though. They ask whether I’m male or female, and it’s like, ‘darling, I am literally just attractive’.”

Catra couldn't help but chuckle. “Well, if you think you’ll be alright, I’ll leave you to your group. I’m gonna take Adora near the back of the march, but I’ll try to catch you afterwards, alright?” Catra said, speaking a bit louder as more and more people gathered around the march.

“Sounds great! You two lesbians have fun!” They responded, before moving back to their group.

“You okay to stick close?” Catra asked Adora as she began to lead her near the back of the march, where there was a bit more room to move about.

“I don’t think I’ll lose sight of someone like you,” Adora replied without much thought as she followed behind her new friend. Catra looked back with a smirk.

“Was that a flirt?” She asked. Adora felt a sudden tinge of lightning throughout her body upon hearing those words, but that surge of fire turned into a spark of confidence as she smirked back.

“I mean… If you want it to be,” Adora teased. Catra raised an eyebrow.

“Heh. I’m beginning to really like you,” Catra said as she eventually stopped near the back of the large crowd. The march had already begun, but the two of them had positioned themselves in a place with a bit more breathing room.

Adora looked up to Catra as they began to walk slowly down the streets, rainbow flags being flown all around and people of all beautiful types marching alongside them. Adora could only watch in amazement. She always saw these marches on her social media feed, but being in the middle of one was something different altogether.

Adora felt the most thrilled she had ever felt in almost her entire life. Like this is where she really belonged. She looked over to her partner, and saw Catra reaching into her own pack, pulling out some rainbow face-paint and handing it to Adora. “Wanna gay yourself up a bit more?” Catra asked.

Adora didn’t even hesitate to take the paint, and copying Catra, she placed the rainbow colors across her cheeks, and also a little bit down her nose. It felt like a surge of sparkles throughout her body. A dance of joy in her heart.

“Looks good, right?” Adora asked Catra.

“Looks fucking spectacular!” Catra grinned, before holding out her hand to take back the face-paint.

And yet, Adora took it as another gesture. Quickly, she placed her hand over Catra’s, holding it firmly.

It was an action done without much thought, and it took Adora two seconds to realize how dumb she was being. She went to go take her hand away, but soon heard a series of chuckles, and looked up to see Catra laughing. “Alright, we can do this!” Catra giggled, intertwining her fingers with Adora’s suddenly.

Oh shit.

Adora actually kind of liked the feeling.

The blush on Adora’s face was mostly masked behind the rainbow face-paint, and as Catra cried out about the first Pride being a riot, she suddenly held up her and Adora’s hands, like a declaration of who they were. Adora could only smile the whole way through.

It was like a whole new side of her had been revealed. A side she could grow to love.

* * *

It felt like the most gay blur had gone by, and Adora was still in a daze when she was on the subway, going back home.

Hours had passed and it was nearly night, but the entire day didn’t let up in energy, not once. Adora could feel her heart still racing. Upgrading from a few queer pages online to being in the middle of what was probably thousands of LGBTQ+ people was definitely a large leap, but Adora loved every bit of it.

And throughout it all, she never left Catra’s side. Her new best friend made her feel welcome and comfortable at her first Pride, and Adora had no clue how to properly thank her. Even when they were on the same subway going back to their respective homes, Adora was still trying to think of a way to properly pay her respects to the person who made her feel most welcome.

But as Adora sat next to Catra on the subway, she noticed something else.

Everyone putting away their rainbow flags in their bags. Hiding whatever pronoun pins they had on their clothing. And even Catra was furiously rubbing out the rainbow face-paint on her cheek, though it seemed tougher than she anticipated. The faded colors of the rainbow still stuck to her cheeks. “Motherfucker…” Catra sighed with frustration, looking at her phone camera as a mirror as she desperately tried to use her own saliva to rub out the paint.

After a day of loving who they were, everyone seemed to be hiding that part of themselves once they left the space they felt most safe in.

“Catra… Are you alright?” Adora asked her partner, who was slowly growing more and more anxious as she realized the rainbow face-paint was sticking more permanently than what she would’ve liked.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m… I’m alright. Just…” Catra rubbed at her cheeks, but again, to no avail. “Have you got a scarf or something, so I can hide this?”

“No… Sorry,” Adora shook her head. “You… Need to hide it?” She asked.

“I told my mom I was out on something school related. She’ll flip her shit if she finds out where I went,” Catra explained, tilting her head back and looking out the window of the subway train as she tapped her foot on the ground rapidly. “Plus, I don’t want to get jumped by some bigoted assholes just for having a rainbow on my face.”

“Oh…” Adora spoke quietly. It was a sad realization. After a day of loving herself and the people around her, it was a punch in the gut. A reminder that there were people out there that would hate her simply for being who she was. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s… it’s cool. I just need to figure out what to do,” Catra said with a smile, though Adora could tell Catra was trying to hide the stress. She wanted a way to calm her partner. She wanted a way to repay her for this amazing day.

And then, an idea.

“… Say, Catra? I actually get off at the next stop and my house is only a few minutes’ walk away… You wanna crash at my place for the night until you feel safe to leave tomorrow?”

It was an insane suggestion. Adora didn’t really know what she was thinking, other than trying to keep Catra safe. She just wanted to do something. Anything.

“You…” Catra’s eyes widened. “You sure? I mean… Fuck, if you’re actually offering, I’d… I’d appreciate that. Like, a lot.”

Adora had a chance to back away. But there was no way in hell she was rejecting Catra when she was in such a tight spot. “I’m sure. I mean, we can binge some shows too. Or whatever you want to do. I can order food as well. Just… I don’t want you feeling unsafe or… Worse.”

Catra pondered the idea for a few seconds. But slowly, Adora saw a smile crawl on the edge of her lips. “Adora… You’re a damn lifesaver. I… Thank you. Really,” Catra said with a sigh of relief, letting out all the pent-up anxiety that had been building ever since she realized she’d need to go home to a house she didn’t want to be in.

“No… Thank you, Catra. Thank you for… for everything today. You helped me so much,” Adora said as the subway slowly crawled to a stop. She stood up, and so did Catra. She was really doing this. No backing down now.

But in their hearts, a flutter was beginning to form.

“I’m just glad I was able to see you open up a bit more as the day went on,” Catra replied as the two of them left behind the subway and walked out of the station. “I’m really proud of you, Adora. Like… Genuinely. You’re incredible.”

Adora smiled at her partner. “You’re pretty great too, Catra.”

A silence followed. And Adora saw Catra’s eyes gaze down towards her hand. She didn’t need any more words to understand what she wanted in that moment. Adora was happy to oblige.

She reached out and grabbed Catra’s hand. Their fingers intertwined. They held each other as they walked towards Adora’s home.

Even the silence of their handholding was the loudest and proudest expression of who they were. It was something Adora never imagined herself doing. And yet, she was crossing new boundaries. Breaking walls and telling the world who she was.

And for the first time in a while, Adora could admit she was even proud of herself.


End file.
